1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ice maker, a refrigerator including the ice maker, and an ice making method, and particularly, to an ice maker that occupies a small space and provides an enhanced degree of spatial utilization and placement options within a refrigerator.
2. Background of the Invention
A home refrigerator serves to store food items in an accommodation space at a low temperature. The refrigerator is divided into a freezing chamber for storing food items at a temperature below zero degrees Celsius, and a refrigerating chamber for storing food items at a temperature above zero degrees Celsius. As demands for ice increases, a large number of refrigerators having automatic ice makers for making ice are being presented.
The ice maker may be installed at either the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber, depending on the type of refrigerator. In the case of installing the ice maker at the refrigerating chamber, cool air inside the freezing chamber is guided to the ice maker to perform an ice making operation.
Methods for separating ice from the ice maker may include a torsion method, an ejection method, and a rotation method. The torsion method is a method for separating ice by twisting the ice maker, the ejection method is a method for separating ice from the ice maker by an ejector installed above the ice maker, and the rotation method is a method for separating ice by rotating the ice maker.
However, the conventional ice makers and refrigerators provided with the conventional ice makers have several drawbacks.
Firstly, the conventional ice maker makes ice by containing water in a horizontal ice container. Here, the ice container occupies a large space, and an ice separation unit for separating ice from the ice maker occupies a large space. This may reduce the entire utilization space inside the refrigerator. Furthermore, in the case of reducing the size of the ice maker, the amount of ice that can be made at one time is reduced. This may cause ice not to be rapidly provided in summer when a large amount of ice is required.
Secondly, the conventional ice maker has a structure to drop formed ice downwardly to a location below the ice maker. Accordingly, in the case of a refrigerator having a dispenser, an ice making chamber has to be installed at a position higher than the dispenser. However, in the case of a 3-door bottom freezer type refrigerator where a freezing chamber is installed at a lower side and a refrigerating chamber including an ice making chamber is installed at an upper side, when the ice making chamber is installed at a high position, the freezing chamber is spaced far from the ice making chamber, and cooling air loss may occur when cool air from the freezing chamber is transferred to the ice making chamber. This may reduce the energy efficiency of the refrigerator.
Thirdly, the conventional ice maker has an ice making unit and an ice separating unit operated by individual mechanisms. This may cause the entire configuration and control to be complicated, resulting in an increase in the fabrication costs of the ice maker.